Chapter 13

The man opened a drawer and picked out a medicine ball. He took a glass of water and dropped the medicine ball inside, and watched the colour of the water change from clear to black. He frowned as the pungent smell of the medicine reached his nostrils. He wondered what the taste would be like, and how could someone even consume this. But that wasn't for him to decide. That was for his wife to delve into. Would she even care? Was she in any capacity to care? Did she even have any humanity left in her? He didn't know.

He passed by a window to a bed at the opposite side of the room. On the bed sat her, her knees pulled to her chest and her long black hair covering her face. She rocked lightly back and forth, and would sometimes mutter to herself. What was she saying? He didn't want to find out.

He sat down before her, and placed the glass of medicine over a table by the bed. The woman didn't budge. The man knew she had heard him. That she had felt him sitting down over the bed before her. But she was too deeply lost in her own ugly world to care.

The man gently approached her face and parted the shiny and silky locks of her hair behind her head, revealing her face. She had pale skin, almost white, glowing in the darkness. Her sharp nose protruded out of her face and was only matched by her sharp jaw that did the same. Her eyes were focused over the white bedsheets, but the man could see her unblinking and bright emerald green irises. She was beautiful once. He still remembered the day he was married to her, and swore to care for her and protect her till his last breath. She had taken his breath away with her bridal beauty. But now… after all these years, after her severe mental ailing… she was a different kind of beautiful.

He smiled gravely, his heart punctured painfully looking at her state. Who was she now? Was she still his wife? The mother of his children? Or… was she someone else now?

He grabbed the glass of medicine and brought it next to her face. It was his duty to make sure that she consumed her medicine daily, no matter how much of a heartbreaking chore it had become.

"Your medicine. I have added some sugar this time… for the bitterness."

The woman didn't move. Was she listening at all? Or was she lost in the throes of a fantastical world again that didn't exist? A world filled with monsters and demons? A world of ugly and convoluted magic? A world that scared her?

The man sighed and slowly brought his other hand to her face. He touched her ice cold skin and lifted her face to lock her eyes into his. The couple looked into each other's eyes for a moment, as silence became the only noise. He was sure she hadn't forgotten him yet. Maybe that time was fast approaching, but it hadn't come yet. Once she would look into his eyes, she would recognise her husband. He was sure of that.

"It's me. Do you recognise me? Your husband. Your partner. I… I love you. And I wouldn't let any harm come to you. You can trust me. I am here to help. I swore an oath to protect you, and nothing can stop me from doing that. Not even you."

The woman stared into his eyes, silently breathing. Her eyes filled up for a moment, but those tears never flowed out. They remained in her eyes, turning them glossy. Maybe his words had been heard.

The woman slowly nodded. She gulped and looked at the glass of medicine next to her face, and received it gently. She pondered unknown thoughts for a moment, as if readying herself to taste the pungent liquid. Sometimes it would upset her stomach, sometimes even turn her nauseous. But maybe beneath piles and piles of unknown thoughts and ideas and delusions within her, beneath scores of disorganised and dissociated thoughts, she still knew that the medicine would only help her.

She started to gulp the medicine down. Some spilled over her dress from the sides of her mouth, and the glass that she held shook as her hands shivered. The tears that had stopped within the bounds of her eyes flowed out finally, maybe triggered by the unpleasant tasting substance she was consuming.

Sooner than later, she was done with her medicine. She placed the empty glass back down over the table, and grinded her teeth before wiping her dried lips with the back of her hand.

The man smiled, even though nothing about the grave and unfulfilling situation warranted that.

"How do you feel?"

The woman's hand that was wiping her lips halted its motion, and she stared at the man for a long while, her mouth hidden away from him. Then suddenly, she moved and desperately grabbed his collar. She brought her face close to the man's face and shivered, as if in fright.

"They… they are here. I can hear them. Their voices… they don't sound human. They are evil. You need to protect me. Help me."

The man stared at her for a while in silence, his lips parted at her sudden movement. He then sighed uneasily, and gently held her face. He dug deep into her eyes.

"Who is after you?"

The woman watched his eyes for a while, as if having already forgotten the answer to that question. As if she didn't even know what he meant by the question. But soon, she remembered.

"The… the forest spirits. They call for me. From deep in the forests… They scare me. They frighten me. They… want me to do terrible things to my sons… and you. You need to help me."

The man nodded. "And… Do you want to do those things? To your sons?"

The woman gawked at him for a moment. "No. No!"

She cried. "I… I love my sons. I could never hurt them."

The man furrowed his brows for a while. He had… he had never heard her say that before. Was the medicine working after all? He shifted closer to her over the bed, intrigued, gleeful and slightly excited.

"You… you love your sons? Both of them? Even the younger one? Even… Natsu?"

The woman gawked at him, her dissociated thoughts taking control of her once again. She shook her head.

"No… not him. He… he plays with magic. He is evil… he is a demon. I have birthed a demon… he isn't our son. He is an ugly gift given to me by the forest spirits. He didn't come from you. He… he needs to go."

The man just stared at her. All the excitement and happiness that had bubbled in him was buried deep down once again. He was back again in the real world. A world where his own wife didn't care about his children. A world where his wife was clasped by an illness so deep and dark that there was never a chance of her resurfacing again. A world that wasn't as bright and beautiful as it once used to be.

He fidgeted nervously over the bed. He was extremely apologetic to even think for a moment that he felt repulsed by his wife at the moment, but he did.

He got up off the bed, and walked to the empty doorway. At the doorway, he turned his head around to look at his wife one last time. She had resumed muttering to herself and rocking back and forth over the bed. A pang of sympathy for her grabbed him, but so did for his sons that couldn't live a happy life because of the conditions in their home. Especially for Natsu. Where did they go wrong? What grave mistake did they commit that they had to suffer so now? He didn't know.

There was knocking on the main door of their house. He instinctively looked in that direction. Were it Natsu and Zeref? They had been outside since morning, and it was afternoon now. But… the knocking was violent and angry. It couldn't have been them.

There was another knock. More like banging against the door. He also heard some muffled shouts from outside. He quickly walked to the door through a bunch of darkened rooms and stood behind it. Could it be the villagers having come to complain to him about Natsu? They would do so sometimes, complaining that Natsu's mere presence was a great slight to their existence. He was getting tired of hearing it.

He slowly opened the door just enough for him to be able to peek through. The warm sunlight from outside blinded him for a moment. When the daze was gone, he saw scores of angry villagers standing outside the door. Some held sticks and others held axes. They all looked perturbed. Angry. Offended.

"What is the meaning of this visit?" Natsu's father asked.

The villagers stood silently staring at his face at the crack of the door. As if he was supposed to know the answer to that question himself. And he did. It must have been his younger son. That little innocent child that the villagers hated for no reason at all. His son. His legacy. His blood.

"Is your son indoors? We would like to see him."

The village chief asked. He was a tall old man that used a cane to walk around.

Natsu's father looked at him. "Zeref is outside. I took to taking care of my wife today, so he has gone fishing in my stead—"

"Your other son, damn it! Where is Natsu?"

The village chief cut in.

Natsu's father kept his composure.

"I know you want to see Natsu. But first, I would like to know why. Then we will discuss if you get to see him or not."

The village chief and the villagers exchanged glances. An uneasy silence hung in the air for a small duration. Some muttered amongst each other, others remained quiet and agitated.

The village chief looked back at the father. "This morning, Natsu burnt down the abandoned fishing hut by the north river. Three kids from the village were inside. They all perished. The families of the deceased are burying their children right now, but they will soon be here. I implore you to hand over Natsu before they get here, otherwise they will demand his head without a trial. I am trying to help your son."

Natsu's father took all that in, but missing was the shock on his face that was supposed to follow from the news. On his face was a calm persistence, and a quiet demeanour.

"I see…" he said. He opened the door up wide, but stood at the doorway, undeterred.

"I understand that it is Natsu's habit to leave the village and wander into the forest. But what were the other kids doing in the forest?"

The village chief looked irate for a moment. "Are you implying that those kids followed Natsu outside the village gates?"

Natsu's father remained quiet. That was exactly what he was implying. And that was exactly what he believed happened. Natsu was innocent. He believed that his son would never hurt anyone.

He heard the side door to his house open, and footsteps walking inside. He turned his head around, and found Zeref entering the house through the side door, which led into the forest. Natsu was in his arms, asleep, or maybe passed out.

Zeref stood hidden in the darkness, watching his father stand before the villagers at the front door. What he had feared for had happened. He was just returning from the forest after gathering Natsu, who he had found lying before the burning fishing hut almost an hour ago. He hadn't expected the news to reach the villagers so soon. But it had. And now… they were confronting his father already about it.

A villager who stood outside peeked into the house through the open front door and saw Zeref holding Natsu inside.

"There… there he is! There's the monster!"

He walked up and pushed against Natsu's father that stood like a barrier at the front door, but the latter unhanded himself and punched the villager square in the chin, and sent him flying into the scores of the villagers that stood behind.

Shouting, gasping and muttering took effect. Some more tried to push into the house, but the end result was the same, with them lying face up outside. Natsu's father was determined to protect his son against the witch hunters. He quickly grabbed an axe that lay by the main door and held it before the villagers.

"Try and touch my sons. I dare you. All of you." He said calmly.

He turned his head around and looked at Zeref. Zeref's eyes widened. The look that his father gave him… that was the look of… goodbye. A final smile. A final and firm nod of his head. Telling Zeref that everything will be okay. A final greeting, before uncertainty followed and separated them forever. Zeref's father knew what was coming. And so did Zeref. One was ready to accept that fate. Zeref, on the other hand, wasn't.

"It's okay, son." His father said to him. "Get Natsu and your mother out of here. I'll follow if I can."

Zeref stared at his father's smile. The last smile that he would get to see. The last words that he would get to hear. Tears took his eyes by surprise, but he gulped and strengthened his resolve. He had always known that a storm was approaching. Fast and unbridled. And for years, he had been preparing himself to face it. Now that it was here, he relented.

He quickly dashed inside the house and grabbed his mother's hand, and led her outside the house. He wanted to stay back and fight with his father, but Natsu and his mother needed someone to protect them too. He left through the side door into the big wide forest.

Soon, the villagers stormed the house.

Mavis ran up ahead, scouting the forest for the villagers that may have been patrolling the area. When she found no one, she looked back at Zeref and his mother following close behind her.

"Quick. This way. I know an abandoned fishing hut far away from the village where they wouldn't look. At least for a while."

Zeref stopped walking, and looked back. His father was still back there. Somewhere. In the village. Was he alive? Was he okay? Was he safe? Or was he…

Mavis noticed Zeref having stopped, and slowly approached him. She stood behind him, and turned his shoulders around.

"Zeref… I know you're worried. But… we have to leave. Please. They will find us soon. We have to make preparations to get off the island. Your father is brave and strong. I know that he will be fine. Come with me, please. Natsu's life is in danger. I cannot risk us lingering around the village too long."

Zeref stared at Mavis, only half registering what she was saying. But his father…

Zeref's mother walked forward and extended her frail pale arms to Natsu, who was fast asleep in Zeref's arms.

Zeref looked at her suspiciously.

She shook her head. "Give Natsu to me. I will take care of him."

Zeref narrowed his eyes. What was this change in his mother's behaviour towards Natsu? All she had ever done was despise Natsu. So what happened now? Was she being genuine? Should he really entrust Natsu to her? Should she try anything suspicious…

Zeref's mother frowned. "Natsu is my son, Zeref. I have a right to hold him that you can't take away from me. I… I love him. He is my child. He came from me. Give Natsu to me. You and Mavis scout for villagers up ahead."

Zeref eyed her in shock. What had suddenly happened to her? He looked deep in her eyes… and saw truthfulness. It was shocking to say the least. Maybe what happened in the village just now made her realise that Natsu needs her more than ever now?

He slowly relinquished Natsu to her. The woman held him close to her chest. Natsu slowly moaned, and sent his little arms around his mother's neck. Natsu's mother caressed the back of his head.

"Shh. It's okay. I am here, Natsu…"

Zeref and Mavis both stared at the woman, and then looked at each other. They didn't know what to make of the situation. The image before them—Natsu in his mother's arms and her gently holding him close… it was something they had never expected to see. Ever.

Mavis looked back at Zeref. She tugged at his arm. "Come on, Zeref. We need to leave."

Zeref nodded at her, and looked at Natsu and his mother one last time. He then turned around and ran up ahead, keeping out a close eye for hunters from the village. Mavis ran up behind him, and his mother followed them close behind.

They reached the fishing hut that Mavis was leading them to. It was old, with creepers climbing along its walls and cracks in the old wooden structures. It had been abandoned for centuries, and was constructed by the ancestors of the village. By now, the village had mostly forgotten that this fishing hut miles away from the village even existed. But considering the slight chance that they hadn't, Mavis and Zeref still needed to be careful.

Natsu's mother climbed up the old rickety bed and sat against the wall, rocking back and forth to pull Natsu into a deeper sleep than already. All the running around to get here must have disturbed him. He needed some peace and quiet now.

Mavis took a seat by the bed and stared at Natsu. She wondered how he would react to what was happening once he woke up. It was something a child like him should never go through. Exiled from his home… his village… the familiar faces and places he had known all his life… his father most certainly dead and forgotten by now, and a price on his head.

Zeref shut the door behind him and looked through the windows of the fishing hut, to make sure the hunters had not followed them here. But if they were to, would he be able to protect Mavis and Natsu and his mother? His father believed that Zeref could take care of them. That's why he had left them to Zeref. But… Did Zeref believe in himself?

The sunlight outside quickly vanished, and the sky turned dark and stormy. Thunder crackled and raindrops fell onto the island. It looked like a storm was approaching. Zeref was thankful for that. The storm would most definitely halt the village's attempts at searching for them around the island.

Mavis was correct. If they were to survive, they had to leave the island. They were already close to its shores now, but they would need to find a boat or board one that was already sailing the seas around the island. Their island rarely got visitors. They lived secluded and forgotten by the rest of the world.

He turned around and looked at Mavis. He wanted to ask her if she had any plans on leaving the island.

Before he could speak, he heard… something. The ground shook and the furniture inside the hut clattered and slid on the wooden floor. Mavis stood up, wondering what that was. She slowly approached Zeref and herself looked outside the window.

There was silence.

"Zeref? Did… did you hear that—"

Another roar was heard somewhere in the dark stormy skies. It sounded like cannons being fired into the skies. It was… loud and unpleasant. The hearts of the listeners were filled with a feeling of heavy and unmoving dread at that sound. It was louder than volcanoes. Louder than earthquakes. Dire. Ugly. Behemoth.

Zeref, shaken and disgusted to his core by that roar, yet mesmerised, slowly opened the door and walked outside. He completely forgot the fact that they were being hunted. What was this voice? What was this creature? He had never heard something like this before. It sounded as if it was flying.

Mavis grabbed Zeref's arm before he could leave.

She whispered. "Zeref! Are you… are you stupid? Whatever that is is outside."

Zeref looked at her, only registering some of what she was saying.

"I… I just want a look. Stay inside. I will be back in a minute."

He wrenched his arm loose and walked outside into the rain. Mavis watched him through the window for a while, before herself walking out into the forest.

She quickly walked upto Zeref and grabbed his hand. Zeref stood outside the open doorway, looking up at the stormy skies. Dark clouds hung low in the air, almost circling right over the island. Lightning and thunder flashed and cackled in the skies loudly.

A… weird… smell hung in the air. A pungent scent. Something that could immediately induce vomiting if smelled. But the strange heaviness and crushing suffocation that hung in the air at the advent of this… strange and unforeseen storm countered that feeling. Something was up high in the air… flying around. Something big. Bigger than the island.

Another blinding bolt of lightning raked the skies, and for a moment both Mavis and Zeref were blinded. When they rubbed their eyes and opened them again, facing the sky… they saw it.

Black. Dark. Quivering. Pulsating. A mass flew over the island. It was in the skies for but a moment, but in that moment, Mavis and Zeref saw… death. Fires. Destruction. Damnation. Unholy darkness. Corruption. Disease. They saw all of it.

Soon, that mass was gone. But the storms and the rain and the heaviness that it had brought along hung in the air still. Mavis's eyes wouldn't shut, no matter how much she wanted to close them to quench the stinging sensation in them. Her heart beat outside her chest in a mix of terror, exhilaration, and absolute and heart wrenching fright. Her legs lost their strength and she fell to the ground. What was this strange supernatural feeling in the air? Why was she so scared? What was she scared of? What did she see? Was she even supposed to see it? What was that…

"Was… was that… a dragon?"

She asked. But Zeref didn't respond.

She slowly looked at Zeref. He was still standing, facing the skies, an uncanny glint in his dark shadowy eyes.

"It… it flew towards the village…" Zeref mumbled.

Mavis watched him, horror and disbelief painted on her face.

"You… you don't plan on going after it, do you?"

Zeref was planning exactly that. He shook impatiently. Something about what he had just seen… strangely attracted him. Something pulled him. Something called to him. Exhilaration. Excitement.

Before more words could be spoken between the two, Zeref dashed into the heavy rain and the strong winds.

"ZEREF! WAIT! DONT–"

He had already vanished into the dark forest.

Mavis could only stare.

A few hours passed before Zeref opened the door to the fishing hut. Mavis quickly stood up from the chair she was sitting in. Seeing Zeref was a relief, and her eyes filled up at the sight of him. She wasn't sure if she would see him again, but here he was.

Something was different about him. His eyes were wide open, as if someone had stitched them open. His face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost. He might as well have. Mavis still didn't know what had flown over them. Did Zeref come face to face with that dragon? What did he see at the village?

She had wanted to yell at him for leaving her back like that and risking his life for some silly curiosity, but the look on his face quickly calmed her down.

She slowly walked forward. "Zeref? What… What did you see? Are you okay?"

Zeref quickly stole a glance at Natsu. He was still in his mother's arms, asleep. He sighed in relief, and then looked back at Mavis. He appeared breathless.

"We… We need to fish. Find something to eat. And… gather wood for fire. Come outside."

Mavis nodded unsurely, and followed him.

Mavis dug her eyes into the river, aiming at the fish that swam by and darted around inside the clear waters. She focused on one, and quickly thrust her fishing spear at it. The spear went right through the fish's stomach, and hung embedded into the wet soil underneath. She pulled the spear out and grabbed the wiggling fish. She stared at its gleaming scales and found a reflection of herself looking back at her on its shiny surface. Soon, the fish halted its wriggling and slept into a deep unbrealing slumber. She sighed and n. Jn the fish into the basket amongst the that she had caught.

She put down the fishing spear and looked into the basket, and realised that she had caught enough already. She had been fishing for a long time, going over and over the recent happenings in her mind, and had never realised that she had caught enough. What even happened today?

The village had been in an uproar since morning. Natsu had burnt down a fishing hut by the river and some kids from the village perished in that. She remembered when the message had reached her house. Her father was not known to be the most kind and accepting towards Natsu. He had left on a moment's notice to confront Zeref's father about Natsu.

But Mavis knew deep down that Natsu wasn't at fault. The kids must have followed him to the fishing hut, and what happened next must have been an accident. Natsu would never hurt someone willingly. Amongst the many things she was still unsure of about today, that was one thing she knew more than anyone.

After that…

They had left the village and hid in the forest. Then that… dragon… or something.

She looked at Zeref, and watched him cut down some wood at a distance. He was behaving strangely. He still hadn't told her what had happened at the village after he had followed that black blur to the settlements. Something must have happened, Mavis knew. Zeref, who was always calm and composed, looked like something had robbed him of his peace. He wasn't his usual self. He was acting weird.

She picked up the basket of fish and approached him slowly.

Zeref picked up a piece of wood and placed it over a stone. He then grabbed his axe that he had brought back from the village and struck at the wood, sending the two smaller pieces flying into the air.

One of the pieces landed next to Mavis. She bent over and picked it up, and extended it to Zeref.

Zeref eyed her, and then the wooden log in her hand. He nodded uneasily and received the log and threw it into a pile of logs that he had already cut.

Mavis looked at that pile.

"Zeref… Enough. You don't need to cut more."

Zeref looked at her, and then at the pile of wood. He sighed uneasily, realising he had cut way more than necessary.

Mavis eyed him curiously, realising that he must have been going through the same thing as her. So involved in his thoughts that just like her, he didn't even realise what he was doing.

Zeref dropped the axe and sat down over a boulder. He dusted his hands and sighed. The storm that that black blur had brought along was gone. What remained were thin dark clouds and light drizzling.

Mavis knelt by Zeref and dropped her head to look at his lowered hidden face. He was… fidgety and uneasy.

She held his shoulder.

"You still haven't told me what you saw at the village. What… What was that black thing that we saw flying over the island?"

Zeref sighed uneasily. What it was… he wasn't sure of that. But he was sure of one thing.

"The hunters aren't coming after us. I… I know that for sure."

Mavis felt more confused than already. Why wouldn't they be coming after Natsu anymore? She felt relieved for a while. But still confused.

"What do you mean?"

Zeref stood up off the stone. He looked up at the sky. The dark stormy sky. That… thing… had brought this storm. But it had brought more things with it. What was it? Was it really a dragon? Zeref remembered the heavy feelings of doom and desolation that had filled him at the advent of that creature. He would never want to feel that way again. It was all ugly and contorted.

"The village… it's no more, Mavis. Whatever that was… it burnt down the village. Killed everyone within."

Mavis's eyes widened. She sighed uncomfortably and stood up. She looked at Zeref's side profile, facing up at the sky. She could tell that he wasn't lying. And she herself knew that whatever that black blur was didn't bode well. The moment she knew that it was flying towards the village, she had known that nothing good could come of it. But this…?

"That means… my parents… my friends…" Mavis muttered.

Zeref looked at her, feeling pity for her. He held her soft shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I am sorry. I don't know why this had to happen. I know you were ready to part with your parents and your home for our sakes. But this is still a shock, I am sure…"

Mavis gulped, and held herself from breaking down. This wasn't the time to be weak. Natsu needed her. Zeref needed her. She couldn't lose her composure right now. She had to be strong.

"I knew that I would never see them again. My parents… my home… my village… and I was ready for it. So… It doesn't make much difference to me. We have to think about what happens now. We have to be strong. For Natsu. For what we have left now."

She bent over and picked up the basket of fish, and smiled unsurely at Zeref, although her eyes were glistening and glossy.

"Let's go. Natsu must be awake by now."

She turned around and headed towards the hut. Zeref watched her receding back walking away from him. She faced down at the ground as she walked, surely still thinking of her parents. Zeref had just recently lost his father, so he knew in part how she was feeling. Their lives had suddenly turned upside down. Was it for the best though? He wasn't sure.

He walked after her and reached the doorstep of the hut. They had grabbed enough fish and wood to last them for a while. They also still had to plan on leaving the island. Or… was that even necessary now? They were alone on that island now. Were they now in any sort of danger anymore? Could that thing that burnt down the villages return?

At the doorstep, Mavis and Zeref both halted. Something was wrong. Something was awry. They heard… laughter from inside the hut. Shrill, high pitched… unpleasant. Maniacal.

Zeref immediately knew it was his mother. In absolute hysterics. She had done this before, but something was different this time.

He quickly opened the door.

The mild sunlight entered the dull and dreary house, and lightened up his mother's figure sat atop the bed. She was alone. She was rocking back and forth over the bed, laughing endlessly. Where was Natsu?

Zeref and Mavis both slowly entered the house, looking at his mother, and then looking around.

Zeref stood by the bed, his eyes narrowed. He stared at his mother, Natsu missing from her arms. All she held now were her knees that she pulled ever closer to her chest as she laughed. Something about that image of his mother's sent shivers down Zeref's spine. It was disturbing. Had she finally lost it?

"Where… where is Natsu?"

He asked.

Mavis entered the hut behind Zeref. She looked around herself in the darkness, forever looking for Natsu. Maybe he was awake now and was playing by himself somewhere. Maybe his mother had told him what had happened, and he had already come to terms with it. Maybe… Everything was fine.

She couldn't even fathom the other possibility.

Looking around, Mavis saw… something. Covered in darkness, on the dusty wet floor, away from the door. A pile of clothes. Creased and disturbed, lying like garbage over the wooden flooring.

The floor was wet. Had the rainwater entered the house? There was no way. There was no leakage in the roofing. And this section of the floor was far away from the doorway or any of the windows. What was this… liquid on the floor?

Mavis couldn't move. Her heart beat out of her chest.

She slowly bent down and caressed the liquid on the floor. It was cold… and thick. It wasn't water. She looked at her fingers.

Red. Thick. Syrupy. Pungent smelling. She smelled… metal. She smelled iron. She smelled… blood.

"No… No… Natsu… what… what have you done… Where is Natsu?"

She stood up and looked at Zeref's mother. Anger filled her up. Fiery anger that couldn't be quenched. Bloodlust.

"WHERE IS NATSU??!" Mavis cried. Tears blurred her vision.

Natsu… the little and innocent boy she had sworn to care for like a mother. Like a sister. The boy she loved to no end. The boy she loved more than even herself. The boy she would destroy the entire world to protect. Where was he?

Zeref's mother only laughed harder and harder.

Not getting an answer from Zeref's mother, Mavis looked back down at what appeared to her as a pile of clothes on the floor. It was dark inside. Almost pitch black.

Lightning raked the dark skies outside, and for a moment, illuminated the contents on the floor.

Mavis gasped. She couldn't exactly make out what was on the floor. But those clothes. Those clothes belonged to Natsu. He was in them the last time she had seen him. Does that mean… those clothes on the floor… Was that a body? That blood on the floor… did it belong to…

"No… Natsu… no, it can't be. Tell me… tell me you haven't… you haven't done anything to him. Tell me he is still alive… TELL ME!! RIGHT NOW!!!"

Tears bled out of Mavis's eyes in a quantity they had never before. She slowly approached the body on the floor and knelt by it. The blood on the floor marred her clothes. She slowly passed her hands over the body… It was cold… stiff… wet… small… a child's body.

"N-Natsu?"

Lightning struck once again, illuminating the body on the floor for a second time. This time, Mavis saw everything she needed to see. Or… maybe she saw something she never needed to see.

She saw a face. A face she remembered dearly. A beautiful and adorable little face that she had always come to associate with happiness and pleasure. A face whose one smile could brighten up her day for eternities. A face that always smiled… no matter how tough things got. A face that reminded her of innocence and simple pleasures in life. A face she loved to and beyond death. A face she always wished to see smiling… and never sad.

Right now, all that was on that face was an ugly apathy. Pale… cold… pain stricken. She could have never thought that looking at Natsu… that beautiful and wonderful little boy could bring such a cascade of ugly emotions within her heart. But right now… it did.

It was him. That pile of clothes on the floor. That was Natsu.

She frightfully approached him, and shook his cold and stiff body.

"Natsu… wake up. It's… it's me… Mavis. Your sister. Natsu, please wake up. Please, Natsu… smile at me once. I… I want to see you smile… just… just once."

He wouldn't. Why was Natsu not moving? Why was he not listening to her? Usually he would be so happy to see her. Whenever she visited him at his home, the first thing he would do is run up to her and climb into her arms, lovingly, dearly and adorably. So… what was wrong now? Why was he not listening to her? She wanted him to smile at her. To call her name in his sweet voice and hug her. She wanted that. Would he never again hug her tightly with his small arms? Would he never smile at her again? Would he never call her name in his sweet melodious voice?

Her heart shattered. A force struck it so hard that the glassy fragments of it spread all over her body and injured her being to no end. She was bleeding. She was in pain. She was hurt. She was grieved. And this grief could never be corrected. Her heart wrenched inside her chest. It wrung and twisted and turned and erupted. And nothing could calm her down now.

She grabbed the cold and lifeless body slowly and hugged it close to her chest. She wanted to absorb what remained of that body into herself. She wanted to preserve the broken and dismantled pieces of that body into herself. She wanted to be the one that died, instead of that little boy that she loved beyond all measures.

A cry escaped her body. And then another. Then another. Soon, she was a sobbing and crying mess on the floor, hugging the body desperately, shivering and wrenching. Contorting and convoluting. Pained and grieved. What she had lost on that day could never be restored.

Natsu was away. Dead. Gone. Separated. Broken. Dismantled. Far away from her. Never to return. Never to hug her like he used to. Never to sleep peacefully and soundly in her lap. Never to hold her hand when he was afraid or sad. Never to play with her again. Never to look at her and smile.

Zeref just stared at his mother, while Mavis's heart wrenching cries continued somewhere behind him. He didn't need to look at whatever Mavis was holding to her chest. Her cry alone let him know what had happened. He knew what had happened.

Zeref's mother halted her laughter for a moment. She grabbed Zeref's arm.

"Zeref… I… I have corrected my mistake. I have undone my crimes… I have… I have slain the monster… Now everything will be okay. I have done it… I… I saved everyone… now the forest spirits are happy—"

She couldn't speak anymore, as Zeref's hands clasped tightly around her throat. They squeezed with a monstrous force. Zeref's face was blank. Something had dislodged in his brain. Something wasn't where it was meant to be. At that moment, he knew what insanity felt like. What insanity was. And he revelled in it.

Soon, his mother lay lifeless on the bed.

Zeref slowly fell back onto the floor. His mother's laughter having ceased, now Mavis's cries—disturbing, shattering, mind wrenching—was the only noise.

In that awkward silence… Zeref smiled. His mind was broken. Gone.